Thanks to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the most perceptive analyses of the human condition I have ever read. Wow. 'The Secrets of Strangers' is undoubtedly one of the best books you will read this year. The plot may revolve around a gunman taking five individuals hostage in a café, but this breathtaking novel from Charity Norman is about far more than the mechanics of a particular crime. Crime is only the undertow of this powerful story; which places the plight of humanity, with its cacophony of individual stories, at its heart. The novel is about the people behind the crime - both perpetrator and victims - if such a thing can be clearly delineated. It is their stories that matter. Indeed, Norman writes with such emotional intelligence it is easy to convince oneself that her characters are real. They defy their fictional existence, as though the words so thoughtfully arraigned to breathe life into their characterisation, transcends the page which is meant to confine them. I was in thrall of Charity Norman's masterful storytelling, eagerly devouring each and every page in one sitting. Emotional, riveting, and written with an unparalleled understanding of the human condition, this book stayed with me long after the last page was turned. Absolutely sublime.

A gunman storms into a busy London cafe and shoots the owner taking customers hostage. A Police Negotiator Eliza tries to talk and build a relationship with the gunmsn to ensure a safe conclusion. The hostages include Mutesi a nurse at a local care home originally from Rwanda. Neil a homeless man and About a defense barrister. As the story unfolds the gunman Sam opens up about his troubled life. Each character has their own secret as they chat over tea and carrot cake. A well written tense and enjoyable book.

What a fabulous read.
The story is about a hostage situation where you learn the back story of the people involved.
I loved the perpetrators story. It made me hold my breath and gave me a squirmy feeling in my tummy.
This book had me sobbing at the end. I will recommend this book to everyone, in fact I have already started.
5 very well earned stars.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I absolutely loved this book it is gripping and fast paced ,set in the Tuckbox Cafe in Balham London, strangers pop in for a coffee one morning and suddenly their lives are turned upside down when a gunman rushes in and shoots the owner of the cafe.and holds the customers hostage .The main characters are Neil a homeless man ,Abi a Lawyer and Mutesi a carehome nurse and Eliza the Hostage Negotiator .The characters are so well written that I felt I knew them, we learn each persons story and the reason that Sam the gunman went on the rampage,strangely enough I began to feel sorry for him .This is one of those lovely books that you don't want to put down .I really liked the ending though it left me with a tear in my eye .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review

Thanks very much to the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
Having finished reading this and reflecting upon it really was a very entertaining read.
Told from the perspective of the perpetrator and the victims of a shooting and siege in a coffee shop.
Characters are very well developed as background to each is exposed.
Interesting insight into "Stockholm Syndrome" as those held captive begin to empathise with captor.
Excellent but easy read.

Wow! This book has quite a premise. Very tense and frightening, but captivating to read. I think this was quite a bold move, but it's handled extremely well. A must-read x

Oh my what a joy of a book this is and such a powerful story that actually made me cry !!
So we have five strangers in a cafe when a gunman takes them hostage and from then on we gradually learn more about these people their lives and much much more, the story is told with so much empathy and all of their lives are so different that it makes for a read that just grips you and doesn’t let go. Although this is classed as thriller it’s so much more than that and I felt myself really caring for the people involved, at times I was so lost in the book I forgot the world around me and the terrible times we are living in it was just that good.
I don’t want to describe the story and I feel this is one of those reads that is just better to into blind as I did, I didn’t expect to love as much as I did and I actually more than loved it and it will remain a favourite of this year so far, it took me to another place and that’s what makes a book stand out for me.
Many many thanks to Charity Norman this is a book you should be really proud of it’s amazing and I can highly recommend it.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Atlantic Books, Allen & Unwin for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

This is the story of a hostage situation that turns a diverse collection of strangers into a group working together to understand and solve the predicament they find themselves in. All of the characters have strong back stories which are revealed as events unfold. It is tightly plotted and tense and the resolution and epilogue are strong and believable. This is one of the most satisfying books I have read for a while. As we settle in for the long fight against Covid-19 I hope we are all able to show the spirit of support and co-operation that this group does.

A gripping story that sweeps you up in the growing tension of the present interspersed with the telling insights of the past that have formed each character.. If nothing else, this is a salutary lesson in not prejudging those you meet on the testimony of others but listening to their own story.

What a treat. Taut, engrossing, compelling, addictive.

As a Londoner in the 21st century I often muse about how ordinary people are placed in extraordinary circumstances and how they might cope.

This novel takes a group of disparate people and does that. Filling out their characters and back stories. Allowing you to develop empathy with them, whilst, at the same time, never becoming mawkish.

The author does a spectacular job in ratcheting up the tension as you watch a manipulative and coercive character isolate and destroy two families. Then set in chain a set of circumstances that bring the very disparate group together.

I stayed up very late to finish this book. I'm glad I did. The ending and epilogue were so finely handled.

I'm rather jealous of those who haven't read it!

What a treat they have in store. I'll definitely be checking out Charity Norman's other novels.

I’d not read any previous books by this author but will definitely now revisit her back catalogue. A really well told story, great characters and a really commercial read.
A gunman goes into a small south London cafe early one morning, killing the owner and raking the rest of the people in the cafe hostage. In turn we learn more of the backstory to all of them, including the police negotiator and the gunman himself. And we uncover the shocking reasons why he did what he did. Well constructed and well written. This does way more than the title had suggested to me it might. Definitely breaks out of any perceptions of “women’s fiction” where this might find itself categorised.

WOW

This is such a well written book
with a nice pace
the characters are believable
and has the story unfolds you end up emotionally attached to them all

Absolutely brilliant

Thank you netgalley, Charity Norman and Atlantic Books for allowing me to read and review this book

It’s Monday morning in London and Tuckbox Cafe is busy with customers.
People heading to work and school, on their way home from night shift or popping in for a coffee to warm them up. A man enters the cafe with a shotgun and alters the course of their day.
This is a hostage situation and we get to know all the characters including the hostage negotiator.
I really enjoyed this book and the interaction of the characters involved.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atlantic Books and Allen & Unwin for this advanced reader's copy. I absolutely loved After The Fall so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this book and it definitely didn't disappoint. Well written characters and story.

I’ve been looking forward to a new Charity Norman book for ages and this didn’t disappoint. The characters were believable and engaging, the story interesting and, as always with Charity’s books, from an unusual perspective. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. Brilliant book.

Something about this book appealed to me. The blurb says that things go off course for a group of strangers at a London cafe one morning - it sounded interesting and I intentionally read no more. So the book opens with random strangers at or around the Tuckbox in Balham. From the start we know that Neil is one of them. He and his dog Buddy are on the streets but someone has kindly dropped some money in his tin mug. Some time with a hot drink in a warm cafe seems like a good idea...

More characters are introduced at or around the Tuckbox as the early chapters go by. In some cases it is obvious who they are but not in every case. Welcome aboard the roller coaster!

This was a book I kept returning to whenever I could. The individual stories, as they emerge, are good. I thought that the characters as a whole were very good and well written. They engaged me and convinced me. In particular both Neil's story and Mutesi's worked very well indeed for me - powerfully moving at times. Ultimately Sam's story was outstanding.

I found the first third of this highly readable and well paced. It grabbed me early on and didn't let go. If I am totally honest the mid section felt a little slow. However I'm guessing that that would reflect the situation quite well in real life. It's rare but the ending here really did work for me. I think it was an excellent piece of writing.

I'd not read any of Charity Norman's books before but I'll certainly look at her previous books. I'd happily recommend this to anyone after a genuinely good read.

I haven’t read nothing by Charity before but I know the hype that surrounds her so I went into The Secrets of Strangers with high expectations..... and they were all met!

Wow oh wow this is one hell of a story. Electrifying! You NEED to read this.

Having read several of Charity Norman’s books, I was looking forward to this one and it certainly lived up to expectations.

One winter morning a young man enters a cafe in London, shoots the owner and takes hostages. As the story unfolds, we learn the reason why.

An excellent book with a compelling storyline line which will keep you hooked until the end.

'Women's fiction' is a genre that often gets belittled or derided but it contains some absolute gems that offer a really good read, with strong characters and emotional depths. The Secrets of Strangers is one such book. A simple premise - five strangers end up in a single place and we learn about their lives. The place, in this case, is Tuckbox Cafe in Balham and our characters include a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, a lawyer struggling with IVF, a homeless gambling addict, a grieving farmer, and his wife. When a hostage situation takes place in the cafe, it is down to our cast, and the police negotiator outside, to work out what has happened and why. As they learn more about each other, they begin to try and help each other through their problems. The novel paints a fantastic and realistic picture of the terrible effects of coercive control, but has much to say on families and modern life. Really enjoyable read.

This is a book that creeps up on you slowly and totally draws you into it's emotionally charged plot. Each character gradually springs to life in such a clever way as the story unfolds. Utterly heart breaking and totally believable. Loved it.